Steve Davis ⋅ Plano, TX Hewlett Packard ⋅ 22 years experience

My best advise would be to build a server and practice installing, configuring and programming Oracle so you can add that to your resume under the heading of "understanding and knowledge of.." Most of what is needed to do this is available for free. You can install an ESXi Host that can boot from a USB Flash Drive. The only thing you would need is a fairly high-end PC to act as a server. There are tons of tutorials on the internet that will show you how to do these things, just google the right terms and watch them several times. Don't be too concerned if you don't understand everything the first time you watch a tutorial, just absorb what you can and watch it again, it will begin to sink in expecially once you start doing the hands on. I've taken many college courses and by far, the most memorable experience was with the self taught ones that I had to struggle through myself.

Steve in Plano, TX

Rob Van Fossen ⋅ Aurora, CO Hewlett Packard ⋅ 18 years experience

Beth,
HP (formerly EDS) has a large presence in the Dallas/Plano area. Job listings can be found at:
http://www8.hp.com/us/en/jobsathp/index.html

As Michael indicates above, with your combination of technical and business experience, I would recommend looking at jobs in the Business Analyst family. I used Oracle Business Analyst in the keywords field and found some listings tonight that do not require programming skills. Also, don't be immediately disswayed by jobs for which the primary location isn't Texas. A lot of our positions are filled by staff around the country working remotely. Some may require a portion of travel, but that is something you should be able to get a clear answer to at the interview.

Michael Roper ⋅ Katy, TX Hewlett Packard ⋅ 20 years experience

You might want to consider or look for a Business Analyst role. With your Accouting experience and Oracle experience it would fit you quite well. You would be the go between the accounting Dept and IT Dept.

Beth Allsop ⋅ Mckinney, TX U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 4 years served

Thanks Steve! I will look into that.
Beth

Beth Allsop ⋅ Mckinney, TX U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 4 years served

To Aaron Glover: Great advice for recent wounded warriors, thanks.
I'm a Cold War Vet so unfortunately I wouldn't be able to take advantage of such a generous offer.
Happy New Year!
Beth

Beth Allsop ⋅ Mckinney, TX U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 4 years served

Thanks for the tip Jim I will definitely check this out and let you know.
Happy New Year!
Beth

Jim Schmidtlein ⋅ Rockville, MD Verizon ⋅ 11 years experience

Hi Beth... you can also keep an eye on the listings from Verizon. They have two large offices (one in Irving and another in Las Colinas) that have been staffing support resources for our hosting and application support teams. Somethig may pop up! Feel free to email me before you apply. If I can provide a referral I will.

General URL: http://www22.verizon.com/jobs/

One Generic hit with Oracle: http://www22.verizon.com/jobs/irving/information-technology/jobidhjobp000000003905192-senior-member-of-technical-staff-verizon-jobs/

Good Luck!

Jim Schmidtlein
(james.schmidtlein@verizon.com)

Aaron Glover ⋅ New York, NY U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ⋅ 1 years experience

Hi Veteran from McKinney, Texas:

You may be interested in Orale's Injured Veteran Job & Training Program.

Oracle is proud to offer the Injured Veteran Job and Training Program. Developed in partnership with the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, the program is specifically designed for women and men injured in the Afghanistan and Iraqi Wars. It incorporates functional training to help in their transition to civilian employment. Our goal is to provide injured veterans with employment experience that may lead to regular employment.

Participants are eligible to work in any entry- to mid-level role at any Oracle facility. They can select on-the-job training across the fields of IT, technical/systems consulting, technical support, finance, human resources, and sales/marketing. Or they may choose developmental training in DBA and Oracle Financials.

Link:http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/citizenship/038260.htm

All the best,
Aaron F. Glover